Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program UPDATE Newsletter

Volume 8
Issue 3
June 2014

In this issue:

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

What is Elder Abuse?

Twelve Things You Can Do to Prevent Elder Abuse

A Daughter’s Advocacy

Volunteer Training 2014

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15. According to
the Administration on Aging (AOA), every year an estimated 5 million, or
1 in 10, older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect, or
exploitation. The National Center on Elder Abuse is part of
AOA. Experts believe that for every reported case of elder abuse or
neglect, as many as 23.5 cases go unreported.

12. Join the Ageless Alliance. Ageless Alliance connects people
of all ages, nationwide, who stand united for the dignity of older adults
and elimination of elder abuse.

ADVOCATING FOR MOM

My name is Kim. I became an expert at advocating when I had to
advocate on my mother’s behalf for almost 20 years. Due to my
background, I’m pretty comfortable in a hospital setting and comfortable
dealing with physicians and nurses.

My mother had begun having mini strokes in 1995. That’s when the
doctor told her she had to lose weight and stop smoking because it was
going to kill her. But she didn’t. She had her first heart
attack in 1996. In 1997 she and I were at home eating dinner and
she stopped eating. She said she didn’t feel well and had a bad
headache. She started vomiting at the table and told me she wanted
to put her head down. I asked her if I should call 911 and she said
no. She lost consciousness shortly after that. I immediately
knew that she was having a stroke. I ran to get her oxygen and I
put it over her mouth and nose and called 911. My mother had a
hemorrhagic stroke that night. That is when an aneurysm bursts in a
large artery which surrounds the brain.

She was rushed to the hospital and operated on. She was in a coma
for three weeks and on a respirator. After about three days the
doctors wanted to talk about removing her from the respirator. They
said that she would be a “vegetable” because she was without oxygen for
some time. She couldn’t walk, talk, or feed herself. She was
total care. Every time we met with the doctors in the ICU, they
again brought up removing her from the respirator because if she did
survive the quality of her life would be poor. My family knew that
my mom was a fighter and knew in our hearts that she would pull
through. We always told them, “no.” One thing that my family
and I did when we went to see my mom was pat her hand and say, “It’s time
to wake up. It’s time to wake up,” over and over again. When she
repeated the words, “Wake up” to another resident who was in a coma, it
proved to us that my mom could hear us say those words.

She was still total care. She was eventually transferred to a less
intensive care unit and remained there until she was transferred to a
nursing home. She had a tracheotomy, feeding tube, and couldn’t
walk, talk, or eat…..nothing.

When I was a child, my mother taught me how to sign the alphabet because
my aunt was hard of hearing. The only way my mother communicated
with her was to sign the alphabet to spell the word. When I was
about 16 my aunt moved, so there was no need to sign anymore. When
my mother could no longer speak, she started to sign while in the nursing
home. The staff could not understand what she was saying, but I
could. It all came back to us. With all types of therapy my
mom slowly and gradually began to get better. They were able to
remove her from the respirator. She began to learn how to walk and
talk again. Two years after being admitted to the nursing facility,
my mom was discharged. At discharge, she was alert and oriented,
able to walk with a walker (fast), talk, play cards and Bingo. She
attended an Adult Day Care Center, went to Atlantic City and she still
had her sense of humor. She was back to her old self. She was and
still is the strongest woman I’ve ever met in my life. I’m honored and
proud to say I’m her daughter. My mother lived for 23 more years
than what the doctors predicted. Below are some things that I did
that I am certain helped my mom to live as long as she did:

Visit often and not on a schedule. This is important.
Staff usually like to know when you’re coming, who will come, who in the
family will ask the questions and they will make sure your family member
looks nice and clean for when you get there. If you have other
family members, scatter the visiting time. The more the staff sees
that the family cares, the more they will care.

Read your family member’s chart. Facility staff have
many patients and may not have the time to tell you about tests and
medication changes. While my mom was in the nursing home I found
out that she was refusing her medications. The staff never said
anything to any of us. While reading my mother’s chart, I found out
that capacitated patients have the right to refuse medications. I
was able to talk to my mom and tell her that in order for her to come
home she needed to take her medications. She never refused them
again. You may have to get permission to see the chart, but do
that. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification.

Inquire about any changes you see in your family member, such as a
changes in mental status. Watch for any type of changes in your
loved one. They could have changed medications, missed a dose, or had a
seizure or stroke. Remember you know them best and you would notice
a change before staff would. If you keep this in mind, you’ll do
what’s best for them.

Ask to speak with the administrator or the nursing supervisor if you
are not satisfied with staff answers and are concerned about care.
One day I visited my mother and found needles on her bed and on the
floor. I also found that they didn’t connect her oxygen properly so she
was gasping for air. It was important to meet with the
administrator and staff to inquire how they could prevent these things
from happening again.

Keep Documentation. Keep a book or
daily journal of events.

Try to appoint one person in the family as the
spokesperson. This person needs to be strong and vocal and the main
contact.

This can be a devastating experience and you may not be able to think
clearly. You may feel helpless and overwhelmed. But remember that
you know your family member better than staff. My mother knew her
family would always be there to advocate for her.

If you encounter any of these situations, remember to contact the
Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 703-324-5861
(TTY711). An Ombudsman advocates for residents, helps resolve issues, and
provides free and confidential information.

Need Information or Have a Concern About Nursing or Assisted Living
Facilities?

Provides information about long-term care providers to help make an
informed decision

Educates the community about long-term care issues

Visits residents of long-term care facilities on a weekly basis through
our volunteer program

Trains long-term care staff on long-term care related
information

Consults with providers

VOLUNTEER CORNER

The New Volunteer Ombudsman Spring Training has been completed!
Our first day was cancelled due to snow. Despite the weather, all
of the volunteer trainees rearranged their schedules to accommodate a
new, additional training date. We are proud to announce that nineteen
candidates successfully completed the training days and have been
accepted into the program. We admire their energy and passion and look
forward to working with our new volunteers.

This year, for the first time, the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care
Ombudsman Program will conduct two New Volunteer Ombudsman Trainings per
year – in spring and fall. The fall training will be offered in
September, 2014. If you are or anyone you know is interested in this
opportunity, please make application during the summer as the vetting
process can take a few months.

Our residents, families and program staff appreciate the time and energy
that our Volunteer Ombudsmen dedicate to helping to ensure the highest
quality of life and quality of care for residents in Nursing Homes and
Assisted Living Facilities.

Thank you!

The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is committed to a
policy of nondiscrimination in all programs and services. To request
reasonable accommodations or alternate formats, call 703-324-5861
(voice); 711 (TTY).

This publication has been created or produced by Fairfax County with
financial assistance, in whole or in part, from the Administration on
Aging and/or the Virginia Department for the Aging.